Stan Musial Funeral: St. Louis Says Goodbye To “The Man”

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - On Saturady, family, friends, Cardinals players and managers, and, of course, Cardinal Nation said a final farewell to the greatest Cardinal of them all, Stan Musial. Musial passed away January 19, 2013, at the age of 92.

Musial's funeral mass was held at the Cathedral Basilica. Once invited guests were inside, the church was opened to the public for fans to attend the service. St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson was joined by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a St. Louis native and Archbishop of New York, and other bishops for the service. Musial was eulogized by Bill Dewitt. Jr., Bob Costas, his grandson Andrew Edmonds, and his son-in-law Martin Schwarze.

After the mass, Stan Musial's body was taken in a hearse to Busch Stadium. Hundreds of fans lined the street outside of "Baseball Heaven" to say goodbye to "The Man". Many brought signs and almost all wore Cardinal red to show their support for the family. The family laid wreaths and flowers at the foot of the Stan Musial statue. They then got back in the car as fans sang an impromptu, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame".

A devoted Catholic, the funeral was a homecoming for a man who tried to attend mass everyday. Family and the Archdiocese called Musial a model as a baseball player and as a faithful Catholic. Father Jason Schumer said the ceremony would start with honoring Musial's baptism.

"The child, with their parents, are met at the door. So, just like 92 years ago, when Stan`s parents brought him to church," Schumer explained, "so now we meet him once again in the back of church. The casket will be sprinkled with water, reminding us of that day of his baptism which was a day of hope, washed in the waters of baptism, and received into the church for this farewell for our prayers and that he will share in Christ`s resurrection"